Two Visa-Free Ways to Visit Yiwu

ROUTE B

240-Hour Transit Without Visa — 57 Countries

Citizens of the 57 countries below may transit China without a visa and stay for up to 240 hours. On the Chinese side this is a transit facility with strict conditions — the onward ticket below is the one most often missed.

How long you can stay

240 hours — 10 days. The 240 hours start at 00:00 on the day after entry. The stay may not be extended, and you may not overstay the limit.

Can you reach Yiwu?

Yes, if you enter through a designated port. Yiwu Airport is one of the designated ports for this policy; Zhejiang Province has six in total — Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, Ningbo Lisu International Airport, Wenzhou Longwan International Airport, Yiwu Airport, Wenzhou Port (passenger) and Zhoushan Port (passenger). Zhejiang is a permitted stay area in full, and travel across provincial borders is allowed within 24 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities.

The 8 Conditions — None Can Be Skipped

Every point below comes from the official notices. Missing any one of them means the port cannot process the entry.

1 · Confirmed onward ticket to a third country

You must hold a connecting ticket to a third country or region with a confirmed date and seat, and it must be booked before you enter China. Without a confirmed onward ticket booked in advance, the port cannot process the temporary entry.

2 · The transit definition is strict

Transit means travelling to a third country: your country of departure and your country of destination must be different from each other. In other words, departure country ≠ China ≠ destination country. Flying from your own country to Yiwu and back to the same country does not qualify.

3 · 240 hours, counted from the next day

The permitted stay is 240 hours — 10 days — counted from 00:00 on the day after entry. The stay may not be extended.

4 · Passport valid for at least 3 months

Your passport or other international travel document must be valid for no less than three months.

5 · What you may and may not do

Tourism, business, visits and family visits are allowed. Work, study and news reporting require a visa obtained in advance, and you must not engage in activities inconsistent with the purpose of your entry.

6 · Stay area: 24 provinces

You may travel across provincial borders within 24 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, and Zhejiang Province is a permitted stay area in full. Some provinces limit you to specific cities — Shanxi to Taiyuan and Datong, Heilongjiang to Harbin, Jiangxi to Nanchang and Jingdezhen, and Guangxi, Sichuan and Yunnan to a listed set of cities or prefectures.

7 · No extension

The 240-hour stay may not be extended. If illness, force majeure or another valid reason means you cannot leave in time or must travel beyond the permitted area, you must apply to the exit-entry administration of the local public security authority for a stay permit in advance. It cannot be processed after the fact.

8 · Ask the official hotline

For policy questions call the 12367 government service hotline (+86-12367), available 24 hours in Mandarin, Cantonese, English, Russian, Japanese and Korean, or check the website of China’s National Immigration Administration.

Further Official Details

• Apply with: a valid passport or other international travel document; a connecting ticket to a third country or region, dated within 240 hours with a confirmed seat, or equivalent proof; a temporary entry card for foreign nationals; and cooperation with border inspection questioning.
• Accommodation registration: staying in a hotel is registered under the hotel industry rules; staying anywhere else, you or your host must report to the local police station for temporary accommodation registration within 24 hours of moving in. Failing to register lawfully is punishable.
• You cannot apply if: your passport is valid for less than three months; your passport carries a refusal stamp from a Chinese visa authority; you have a record of illegal entry or exit, illegal residence or illegal employment in China within the past five years; or any other circumstance under Chinese law and administrative regulations bars your entry.

Kept separate from the 8 conditions above: these are additional official requirements, not alternatives to them.

The 57 Eligible Countries

The list was last expanded on 2026-08-20 (Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam added). Europe 40, the Americas 6, Oceania 2 and Asia 9:

• Europe (40) — Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Monaco, Russia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, Belarus, Norway.
• The Americas (6) — United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile.
• Oceania (2) — Australia, New Zealand.
• Asia (9) — South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Indonesia, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan.